Disruptive, captivating, iconic. Three words that characterise the work of Le Corbusier, the Swiss-born design visionary, whose unique and striking approach to architecture has been captured in a new collection of special-edition Rado timepieces.
The new releases are the latest output in a long-running collaboration between Rado and Les Couleurs Suisse®. For Rado, known as the Master of Materials, Le Corbusier’s bold designs and use of modern materials and statement colours strike a chord with its own approach to watchmaking and appetite for innovation.
So far, the partnership has seen the release of 12 Rado watches, which focused on deploying contribution to modern architecture with each watch referencing one of his most epic projects.
Minimalist elegance
The first watch pays tribute to La Cité Radieuse, a vast, concrete apartment building in Marseille, France, completed in 1952, and which reimagined modern urban living. This special edition features an abstract inspiration of the building’s rough-cast, board-formed concrete, known as béton-brut, laser engraved in its high-tech ceramic dial.
This offers a highly intricate interpretation of the concrete’s innate texture, with each minute detail intriguingly reflecting the light. Each watch in the series combines four shades from the Polychromie Architectural. First introduced in 1931, and extended in 1959, the palette was identified by the great designer as being eminently architectural, naturally harmonious and able to be combined in any way.
This first watch is presented in Ivory White, reference 4320B, across its monobloc high-tech ceramic case and matching crown and bracelet, telling a story of pure, minimalist elegance. It is the first time that this specific colour has been deployed in high-tech ceramic.
It’s worth remembering that the colour runs right through the material as the final hue is not just a coating or finish, but acquired during sintering, when it is heated to 1,450°C. Faithfully recreating an exact shade with this complex methodology is no small thing and took Rado’s experts years to perfect. This timepiece is complemented by hands in Lucent Sky Blue (32021), Luminous Ultramarine Blue (32020) and Light Ultramarine Blue (32023)
Monochromatic power
The second watch honours the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the USA. In a region so closely associated with American history, the Center’s bold aesthetic was a stark contrast against the leafy squares and Georgian architecture of Harvard University.
As the only building Le Corbusier designed in North America and one of his last, completed in 1963, it is part of the nation’s cultural heritage. An abstract evocation of its moulded concrete facade features in the dial of this special edition, similarly laser engraved in high-tech ceramic.
Showcased in Iron Grey, specifically 32010 from the Polychromie Architectural, the piece conveys the monochromatic power of raw concrete, a material which allowed for the more disruptive, sculptural forms so associated with Le Corbusier.
The watch’s lacquered hands offer a dramatic juxtaposition against the dial, in three additional colours from his palette: Cream White (32001), Powerful Orange (4320S) and Slightly Greyed English Green (32041).
Monumental design
The final watch in the series celebrates Le Corbusier’s capacity to conceptualise ideas on a truly epic scale through his visionary plan for Chandigarh, India. Conceived as a completely new capital for Punjab, he imagined a more rational, efficient city with a geometric ‘grid’ layout, shared principles for architectural design, and nature carefully integrated, shaping urban planning throughout the rest of the 20th century.
This special edition includes a dial design inspired by detail from the Palace of Assembly, one of three public buildings known as the Capitol Complex, completed in 1962. An abstract inspiration of a section of this monumental building’s facade is laser engraved in the dial, within a darker palette still.
Here, the high-tech ceramic monobloc case, crown and bracelet appear in Ivory Black, 4320E from the Polychromie Architectural, accompanied by lacquered hands in Powerful Orange (4320S), Emerald Green (4320G) and Olive Green (4320F).
Sensuous and scratch-proof
The reverse of all three watches features 63 digitally printed colour strips – representing the full spectrum of the Polychromie Architectural. They encircle the view of the Rado calibre R763 automatic movement within, which can be seen through a flat sapphire crystal that features the logo of Le Corbusier at its centre.
The colour strips also decorate the presentation box each watch is supplied in. On the wrist, the watch’s high-tech ceramic construction feels impossibly light and beautifully comfortable with the material quickly matching body temperature while the material’s sensuous qualities are magnetically alluring.
The almost scratch-proof characteristics of high-tech ceramic lend it unrivalled durability, just like Le Corbusier’s beloved concrete, while the Rado calibre R763 automatic movement’s 80-hour power reserve and water resistance to 5 bar (50 metres) give it astonishing practicality.
This architecturally inspired collection, pairing the father of modernism with the watchmaking vision of Rado, Master of Materials, represents a poignant new chapter in the story of Swiss design.
The True Round x Les Couleurs® Le Corbusier® collection is now available at Rado’s physical stores and on their official website here.
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